Chapter 12

Using effective classroom communication and having clear understandings about what types of things are appropriate and what isn't will help run the classroom a lot smoother than without. It is important that the students understand what that is or chaos will ensue. Posting the classroom rules so that they are visible for all to see may be a good reminder of what is okay and not. By setting a good example to your students, they will be better students I believe. I think the best way to increase good behavior is by using positive and negative reinforcements. I personally believe that punishments and rewards (when used sparingly) can be super effective. Overall, by managing classroom student behavior can be good.

LAW PROJECT

Journal Entry #1

      Education is one of the greatest careers a person can have. I believe that as teachers we are bringing students to a greater understanding and deepening their knowledge. I personally believe that as a Special Education teacher, teaching those students is far more rewarding and fulfilling. Students with disabilities are choice sons and daughters of Heavenly Father.

Last Fall I had the opportunity to serve in the Primary and I was able to become close to a girl who has Cerebral palsy. I loved her personality. I personally believe that she is as close to perfect as someone on earth can get. I was grateful to have the opportunity of growing close to her because she strengthened my desire to become a special education teacher. I always knew that I wanted to go into special education , even before I came out to college, but I think working with her in the primary, was my spiritual prompting telling me that I am indeed headed in the correct direction.

                I really liked the quote: “We have a tendency to teach the way we were taught and parent the way we were parented.” I think that as a future teacher, the future of a child’s education is in my hands. That is a major responsibility and I want to make sure that I am prepared and ready for that time. I want to make a difference in their life. Part of my philosophy of education is that I want to be there to support the children and encourage them to do their best. I personally didn’t always have teachers who were there to encourage and support me. However, that doesn’t matter anymore. I don’t want to be that kind of teacher. I want my students to succeed so I will make sure to do everything in my power to make that happen.

Journal Entry #2

   It is amazing to see how education has changed over the years. We have truly come a long way in the past forty years. I am grateful that I am able to live in a place where special education gets the attention it deserves. I firmly believe that in order for students that have disabilities to succeed, I believe that they should be placed in the classrooms with regular education students. I think that this is the best environment for them in order to succeed. I think that inclusion in the classroom can help students with disabilities to succeed. I personally believe that separating students because they may have a disability can actually deteriorate their ability to learn.

                I was actually in special education all throughout my schooling up until college. I did enjoy being able to attend classes with my peers because it helped me feel included and the same as them. I think that students that aren’t in special education are able to grow respect and love for others with disabilities. They are able to see that they truly want to be just like everyone else. They don’t want to be looked at or treated differently because they of their disabilities.

                I also believe that just because they are in the classroom with general education a student, that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be forgotten.  I do believe in inclusion, but I still think that placing them in classrooms can be overwhelming. I think that resource rooms are a perfect environment for special education students to be able to learn at the pace they need. It is a place where they can go to be around others that share the same learning disabilities they may have and they can learn and grow from one another.

                Overall, I am just really grateful that special education is something that this country cares about. I believe that everyone deserves to learn no matter what. No one should be denied that access. I am grateful that I am studying this. I am grateful that I will be able to help students who may struggle succeed! If it weren’t for the excellent special education teachers that I had, I probably wouldn’t be where I am today. My hope is that I can do the same for future generations. 

Journal Entry #3

I think it is important to begin this journal entry with asking the question: What is Special Education? When I think of this, I think of students who have disabilities that deserve to have the same educational opportunity as every other student. Students that are placed in special educational settings receive accommodations to help them succeed. These accommodations refer to instruction that will help them personally, teachers who work specifically in special education, and services that will help them perform well. As a future special education teacher, I have the ability to help students that need assistance succeed. I believe that by finding ways that cater best to their needs and working on helping them achieve their goals, then these students can excel in whatever they do. I feel that I would make a good special education teacher because I can relate to several of the students in the classroom. While I was in Grade School I was in special education and I remember a lot of what I felt like and the things that my special education teachers did for me to help me do well. I want to be that type of teacher for my students. I want to help them feel like they can be successful in achieve greatness. I feel like as I study about special education, I find myself becoming more intrigued about the laws and ways that best help these exceptional students.

Journal Entry #4

 What is IDEA?

IDEA is an acronym used in special education. It stands for Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. This act helps us determine if a student will be eligible for special education. I think this law really helps benefit students with disabilities because it allows them to receive accommodations and it allows them to be put in learning environments that will help them succeed in the best way possible. IDEA is great, in my next couple of blogs I will go in deeper about what each aspect of IDEA incorporates in possesses and which disabiltes qualify.

Journal Entry #5

The Purpose of IDEA

As I have studied about the importance if IDEA I have come to realize and understand that IDEA is to help protect students rights. IDEA helps students who fall under the disability category to get the help that they need. It is great that IDEA exists because it requires schools to provide students with accommodations to help them succeed. It also helps parents voice their opinion and allow them to help their children receive accommodations if possible. It allows parents to be involved and active in decision making that relates to their child education. The parents are the most important in my opinion, because they have the final say in what happens with their children. They need to use their voice to help their child succeed. It is important for parents to be involved because they need to have a say on how their child is being accommodated.

 Journal Entry #6

The Core principles of IDEA

There are 6 Core principles for IDEA. These principles and services help determine the law and regulations for IDEA. They make up the foundation for what IDEA is based upon.

These 6 principles are: 

1) LRE or Least Restrictive Environment

         Students should be taught in the environment that will help them most succeed. The accommodations they get should be ones that are good for their level of disability. They need to fit properly what needs to be done in order to help them do well. LRE can determine whether or not a student is in a General Education class or a Specialized Class for most of the day. 

2) Non Discriminatory Evaluation 

        Students that are being tested for Special Education need to be assessed in several different ways expanding on several different ways the child could be tested. Only testing once or with one why could give false test results and then the child gets accommodations that are unnecessary or not getting thee accommodations they need to do well. 

3) FAPE of Free or Appropriate Public Education

        Students with disabilities need to attend school. They need to get accommodations that address their needs. And they deserve to have the same opportunities as everyone else. 

4) Zero reject

     No child can be rejected from Special Education if they have a disability. 

5) Due Process 

     When there is disagreement concerning eligibility there are certain processing that needs to occur in order to fix it. No changes can be made until there is an agreement through resolving the issues in a formal setting.      

6) Individualized Education

    A plan that is reviewed an assessed annually to address the needs of the student. These IEP's are written by a team of professionals along with parents to help the child in their education

Journal Entry #7

Can involving Students in their own IEP plans be effective to the child?

Students that are involved in their IEP and decision towards their education develop self-advocacy skills. They learn about what’s best for their education and what is best for them. They can learn at a young age how to help themselves.  Learning to advocate for themselves can create professional and communication skills that can help them improve in school. It helps them know and understand what they need to be successful and helps them motivate to make sure there needs are met. It also helps them to take responsibility for their actions. 

Journal Entry #8 

 Can Independent Learning Help students with disabilities? 

I have discovered that Independent Learning is something that helps encourage and promote learning in students. Students that have independence and an ability to work by themselves will be able to have a lot of success. Teachers have a great influence on students. Students will be able to look up to the teachers and be influenced by them to have self-motivation. I believe that as students learn to have self-motivation their educational experiences will be a lot better. Teachers can outline several beneficial ways to help them achieve those goals. It is important for students to be independent and not solely rely on their teachers. As students do this, they will most likely go a lot further in their educational experiences.

Journal Entry #9 

13 disabilities fall under IDEA. These disabilities are the ones that allow students to receive accommodations. 

• Autism
• Deaf-blindness
• Deafness
• Emotional disturbance
• Hearing impairment
• Intellectual disability
• Multiple disabilities
• Orthopedic impairment
• Other health impairment (including ADHD)
• Specific learning disability (including dyslexia, dyscalculia and dysgraphia, among others)
• Speech or language impairment
• Traumatic brain injury
• Visual impairment, including blindness

Journal Entry #10

Special Education has come a long way. It started from the bottom and has increased to become something that not only educators, but also everyone can accept. Because of IDEA, students now have to right to a fair education. Several court cases have made that possible. Throughout this blog, we will discover court cases and how laws made it possible for students with disabilities to receive the help they deserve. Because of the Civil Rights movement and parents, schools were able to make it possible to work from the bottom to increase the involvement of education with these students. I think that we have come a long way. Especially now. Special Education is something that can be talked about freely and openly, they are very welcoming to all and provide support for all. They allow opportunities for success for all which makes for more equality.

Journal Entry #11

 I think it’s important to remember as special education teachers that the parents need to be involved AT ALL TIMES! Parents have serious rights and they need to know what is going on. They need to be included in all decision making processes as well. The parent rights are as follows: 

 A. they need to provide consent for their child to be tested for special education.

  b. receive written notice for their child’s plan if anything will be changed, modified, added, or taken away.

  C. to have their child evaluated by anyone outside of the school district

  D. access and review records for their child 

  E. they need to be reimbursed if the child is going to be placed in a private school ONLY if this private school can provide better services for the child 

  F. to file complaints if the school district is not ad hearing to the rules and regulations 

  G. to request a hearing at any time 

  H. to appeal decisions that are made pertaining to the student. 

  I. files lawsuits if things are not done to code

  J. Reimbursed for an attorney fee at a reasonable price 

  K. Access protective features for their child. 

Journal Entry #12

How can I Effectively work with Parents? 

  It is important to develop effective and positive relationships with parents in order to gain their trust. As a special education teacher we the ones who are providing a future for their child. That is a big responsibility. Parents can play a big role because they know their child more than anyone else. By working with them, they can help you understand the child and you can help them know what types of help their child can benefit from. It is good to make the parent an ally. You want what’s best for the child and they want what’s best for their child so developing a good relationship is the key to doing what’s best for the child. When you include the parent in everything, they will feel more comfortable and will open up to you and trust you as a special education teacher more. 

Journal Entry #13

I know that my parents always had great relationships with my special education teachers. I had great special education teachers who clearly wanted the best for me. They communicated with my parents about what was happening in my education and that helped my parents feel comfort and developed a sense of trust. It made it easier for my parents to be open to new ideas regarding my education because they knew that my teachers were only there to help.

Journal Entry #14

Court Cases Affecting Special Education:

Larry P. vs. Wilson Riles (1986) 

   Intelligence Tests can’t be used to test/determine whether or not someone who is African American has a disability. 

Board of Education of Hendrick School District vs. Rowley (1982)

     This law said that the law does not require special education to provide optimum services 

Daniel R. R. vs. State Board of Education (1989) 

    Students need to be placed in special education appropriately. 

Schaffer vs. Weast (2005) 

Journal Entry #15

504 Plans 

504 Plans started in the year 1973 they provide services and make sure that the student is prevented from discrimination. It allows students to have equal opportunity and allows them to receive an equal and fair education experience. It helps them receive certain services too. 504 plans are all about equal opportunity. In my next blog, I will share some of my experiences that I have had with Special Education and how it has benefited my life and helped me do well. 

Journal Entry #16

 All throughout grade school, I was in Special Education. I was placed in there because I have learning disabilities. I always have a hard time processing information and understanding concepts being taught. I was a poor reader and couldn't pick out key information that I read. In addition, I had ADHD. That made it difficult for me to pay attention in my classes as well as sit still. My mind was always off in other worlds and my body had to be constantly moving all the time. Having IEP'S and Plans made it possible for me to succeed. I was grateful that teachers were so accommodating and willing to help. I am happy that I was able to have these because it made my learning experiences a lot easier. I think that without special education services being where they are at now, I wouldn't be in college. I probably would have dropped out of high school because of it being too hard. I think special education provides support for struggling students and gives them a chance to succeed and excel regardless of how severe they are. 

Journal Entry #17

  The reason why I want to be in special Education so badly is because I want to help those students become great. I want to stay by their side and do what I can for them. At the beginning of the semester we listened to the Primary Song, I'll walk with you. I really liked this song because it describes how much we need to love and serve children with disabilities. 

If you don't walk as most people do,

Some people walk away from you,

But I won't! I won't!

If you don't talk as most people do,

Some people talk and laugh at you,

But I won't! I won't!

I'll walk with you. I'll talk with you.

That's how I'll show my love for you.

Jesus walked away from none.

He gave his love to ev'ryone.

So I will! I will!

Jesus blessed all he could see,

Then turned and said, "Come, follow me."

And I will! I will!

I will! I will!

I'll walk with you. I'll talk with you.

That's how I'll show my love for you

This song describes the type of teacher i want to become. 

Journal Entry #18

Determining whether or not a child is eligible for special education can be difficult but there are steps to guide you. Professional teachers will play a major role in deciding who is placed in special education. They do this by: 

     Analyzing Unmet Needs

     Observing and doing interventions 

It is important for teachers to hit every aspect of in order to determine if a child is needed for special education. They can do this by watching the child closely and putting them in different situations to analyze how well or poor they perform. Often times the child will already be qualified for special education before they start school because of early interventions done at birth. 

Journal Entry #19

What is RTI? 

RTI stand for Response to Intervention. This part of special education specifies if there is a disability that is in the child. It involves several different tiers that students fall under to receive the best education possible for their level of understandings. 

75-80% of students will be able to learn if they receive high quality instruction

15-20% of students will benefit from moderately intensive instruction 

And 5-10% of students need HIGHLY intensive instruction 

Each of these tiers varies in intensity but students fall in all the categories based on their abilities.

Journal Entry #20

What types of things contribute to RTI and its levels of intensity? 

    Frequency of Intensity 

    Duration of intensity 

    Location of the intervention 

    Group Size 

    Implementing the intervention 

     Type of Intervention 

It is possible for students to move up and down each of the tiers based on how well they are improving or decreasing. Keep in mind that these contributions differ from child to child based on their abilities and severity of disability 

Journal Entry #21

What are the benefits of Co teaching? 

Co teaching is a great way to help students, I believe that Co teaching is a way that can help better help students succeed because there are more than one teachers there to lend a helping hand. I often feel like it is difficult when there is one teacher against 15+ students. When there is another teacher, there to either observe, team teach or help, then the classroom and the lesson can go a lot smoother. I also believe that co teaching is a great way to see where the students need help and where improvements are needed because sometimes, when there is one teacher it is not always easy to see the needs of all the students, but when you co teach, it is a lot easier for each of the teachers to see more of the individual needs of the children in the classroom.

I think that Co teaching should be established in a lot of the classrooms. I think that the success rate in student’s education would actually increase!

Journal Entry #22

What is Collaboration?

This is involving other teachers to help a struggling student. This is used to help bounce ideas of each other to best help them. Collaboration can be effective especially if the student’s needs are top priority and all the teachers have the student’s best interest at heart. If all teachers feel their opinion is valued and heard, then collaboration is working. It requires a shared goal. It also requires a shared responsibility for decisions that are made. There can't be misunderstandings. Everything must be clear and concise.

Journal Entry #23

What would inhibit effective communication?

Having effective communication is vital with collaboration. Voices need to be heard, but it needs to be done effectively. It is important to avoid this:

Advice

False Reassurances

Wandering Interactions

Interruptions

Being Judgmental

One-way communication

Fatigue

These make barriers to communication and make collaboration difficult. It is important to develop good listening habits. This will make collaboration run smoother and more professionally.

Journal Entry #24

What are the characteristics of an inclusive school?

 Everyone has the same goal for the child to succeed. They want the child to do well.

 The principal is an advocate for the students and is involved in making decisions regarding education

 Teachers and other professionals are respectful

 Special education is not considered as a separate part of the school

 Parents are involved. ALWAYS

 Assistive technology is used to make the curriculum better

 Regarding special education, it is good to look at what the children can do rather than what they can't do.

 Different levels of accommodations are provided for the student

Journal Entry #25

What can be done to assess a child for Special Education? 

 High-Stakes Test 

 Standardized Achievement Tests

 Group-Administered Tests 

  Individually Administered Tests 

  Psychological Tests 

  Alternative Assessments 

  Curriculum Based Assessments 

Journal Entry #26

What can be done to fairly assess students? 

I think that it is important to make sure that you have the child’s best interest at heart. I think that it is vital to make sure you want what’s best for the child. All the things above should be done however, it is important to analyze the student to see what they might do and how they react to these tests. It is important to administer the correct tests to them and the ones that will best help them. 

Chapter 6/7 Blog

I liked this chapter because I deal with low disabilities. I had to be in special education classes when I was grade school because of learning disabiltes that I had. I think that it is important to pay attention to students with low disabiltes because they struggle as well. They deserve to have accommodations as well because they deserve to do well in school too. These disabilities vary in severity or type, but I think its important to reach out to them. I think that schools could do better at realizing low disabilities because they deserve to do well. Several accommodations can be administered to them! I want to be the teacher that reaches out to them all and do everything I can to help them.

For High disabilities, I think these require a little more attention because most of the time these students need more assistance. I think it is important to allow them to do things for themselves (if possible) but I think that's important because it teaches them independence. I think its important to help them to become independence to the best of their ability. They deserve to have chances for success. I love that schools provide accommodations for students with disabilities because it allows them to have a chance for success in school.

Service

This one was a lot of fun because it gave me an opportunity to expand my relationships! The two things that I did was volunteer at the Hands Club. I went on Wednesday nights to do crafts! I loved it, I was able to develop friendships and grew a deeper love for students with disabilities. In addition, I volunteered at the Fun Run. I helped them set everything up and help the runners check in and helped clean up. After the run there was a huge party. This was a great social environment because I was able to get to know everyone and we all just danced and had an awesome time!  This picture was from the Hands club! We made fun water colored pictures! We had a great time getting to know each other!

Stuttering

Using a stutter was really hard especially since it was forced and I had to try really hard to keep it going while I was having conversations. When I was on campus at the school store I was looking for where the post it notes were and I asked a clerk to help me. I used a lot of pauses and repetition of words and sounds. It made it hard for him to understand me, but I could tell he was more willing to help me because he tried really hard to understand me and help me. It was hard though because it made conversations a lot more difficult and I was a little embarrassed to ask for help. Another thing that I did, was while I was walking on Main Street I stopped someone to ask for directions to the post office. I had the same experience as asking for help at the school store. But again, it gave me a deeper appreciation for people that have stutters. Because its really hard to communicate!

Learning Disability

I don't think that this was the best way to show someone what a learning disability is like just because I have had learning disabilities my whole life. School was something that was ALWAYS difficult for me because I learned at a slower pace and just really struggled overall with that. But, I did understand why we did this. It made me think really hard about what I wanted to say because I had to be careful not to say something with a l or n. I paused a lot and thought about what I was going to say. It took a while to get the words out and made it very difficult to communicate!  When I went Walmart I was looking for Colored Pencils and I found them, however I went up to a sales clerk and asked them how long they think the colored pencils will last and if they thought if I should buy a sharpener with them. I thought they were silly questions, but I couldn't think of anything else to say! When I went out to eat last month with my brother I ordered a burger and asked them how long they cook it and long ago they bought their bread. They were silly questions as well but I think it gave me a better understanding of having a Learning Disability.

Visual Impairment

I did not like using these masks at all! They stressed me out a lot because not being able to see has always been one of my biggest fears. The one that was the hardest for me was the macular degeneration masks. Having partial vision in both eyes was so hard. It was so tempting to look around the bars, but I couldn't! Also, I didn't have to wear one of the masks because I just took off my glasses. That was hard too because I didn't realize how bad my vision actually was! I sit at the front of my classes and I still couldn't see the board. It makes me very grateful for my glasses because without them, I would do a lot worse in school. I didn't mind that mask that generated blindness in one eye because I still had good vision in one eye. The Glaucoma mask was difficult to at first, but once I got the  hang of it, it became easier. These masks were a great stimulation activity to understand better what visual impairments are all about. It made me appreciate how hard they need to work to succeed.

Orthopedic

I really actually enjoyed doing the wheelchair experience. I feel like 2 hours wasn't enough time for me to truly understand what it is like to be in a wheel chair. There are so many things that I would have wanted to do but the two hours wasn't enough time. However, I was able to do a lot of other things that made me really appreciate the life that they live. I think that the hardest things that I had to do was using the wheelchair to get up a hill and using the bathroom. Going up the hill from the MC to the Hinkley was really difficult, I felt like I fell backwards more than I moved up, anyway I feel like people are more aware and helpful when they see someone in a wheelchair especially who is struggling. There was a nice guy who was willing to help me, he came up behind me and starting pushing me without asking if I needed help first. I guess I always assumed people acted differently around people who are in wheel chairs, but I noticed I got a lot more smiles and hello's! Using the bathroom was hard because my arm strength is none. I had a hard time lifting my self onto the toilet.  In addition, more people opened doors for me and wanted to help in anyway they could. I really liked using the wheelchair just because it was a lot easier than I thought it would be. I think the thing that was the hardest or most awkward was asking for directions. Just because I have been here for so long that I know where everything is, but I asked where the Taylor building was and the person I asked was able to tell me, but I just felt weird. Even getting a drink was hard because the water just splashed all over me. Overall this was my favorite experience just because there was so much to experience with it!

Chapter 11

I believe that accommodations can be a very beneficial thing to students in special education. I believe that they allow the child to advance to the level that a regular ed child might be at. I believe that accommodations support the special education child to performing better in school than they had planned, These students deserve the same education as regular ed and with these accommodations that can be given to them.
I also believe that it is important to train children in special ed important educational skills such as note taking and test taking skills. With these abilities strengthened, I believe that the students can do far better than without them.
Altogether, I believe that in order to help a struggling child be successful certain measurements need to be fulfilled and it is up to the teacher to encourage the child to utilize and take advantage of the accommodations and support given to them. No child should have to fail. Every child deserves to succeed!

Independent Learning

I have discovered that Independent Learning is something that helps encourage and promote learning in students. Students that have independence and an ability to work by themselves will be able to have a lot of success. Teachers have a great influence on students. Students will be able to look up to the teachers and be influenced by them to have self motivation. I believe that as students learn to have self motivation their educational experiences will be a lot better. Teachers can outline several beneficial ways to help them achieve those goals. It is important for  students to be independent and not solely rely on their teachers. As students do this, they will most likely go a lot further in their educational experiences.

Co teaching

Co teaching is a great way to help students, I believe that Co teaching is a way that can help better help students succeed because there are more than one teachers there to lend a helping hand. I often feel like it is difficult when there is one teacher against 15+ students. When there is another teacher there to either observe, team teach or help, then the classroom and the lesson can go a lot smoother. I also believe that co teaching is a great way to see where the students need help and where improvements are needed because sometimes, when there is one teacher it is not always easy to see the needs of all the students, but when you co teach, it is a lot easier for each of the teachers to see more of the individual needs of the children in the classroom.

I think that Co teaching should be established in a lot of the classrooms. I think that the success rate in students education would actually increase!

Lesson Two

Lesson Two:

                It is amazing to see how education has changed over the years. We have truly come a long way in the past forty years. I am grateful that I am able to live in a place where special education gets the attention it deserves. I firmly believe that in order for students that have disabilities to succeed, I believe that they should be placed in the classrooms with regular education students. I think that this is the best environment for them in order to succeed. I think that inclusion in the classroom can help students with disabilities to succeed. I personally believe that separating students because they may have a disability can actually deteriorate their ability to learn.

                I was actually in special education all throughout my schooling up until college. I did enjoy being able to attend classes with my peers because it helped me feel included and the same as them. I think that students that aren’t in special education are able to grow respect and love for others with disabilities. They are able to see that they truly want to be just like everyone else. They don’t want to be looked at or treated differently because they of their disabilities.

                I also believe that just because they are in the classroom with general education a student, that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be forgotten.  I do believe in inclusion, but I still think that placing them in classrooms can be overwhelming. I think that resource rooms are a perfect environment for special education students to be able to learn at the pace they need. It is a place where they can go to be around others that share the same learning disabilities they may have and they can learn and grow from one another.

                Overall, I am just really grateful that special education is something that this country cares about. I believe that everyone deserves to learn no matter what. No one should be denied that access. I am grateful that I am studying this. I am grateful that I will be able to help students who may struggle succeed! If it weren’t for the excellent special education teachers that I had, I probably wouldn’t be where I am today. My hope is that I can do the same for future generations. 

Lesson One

Lesson One:

Education is one of the greatest careers a person can have. I believe that as teachers we are bringing students to a greater understanding and deepening their knowledge. I personally believe that as a Special Education teacher, teaching those students is far more rewarding and fulfilling. Students with disabilities are choice sons and daughters of Heavenly Father.

Last Fall I had the opportunity to serve in the Primary and I was able to become close to a girl who has Cerebral palsy. I loved her personality. I personally believe that she is as close to perfect as someone on earth can get. I was grateful to have the opportunity of growing close to her because she strengthened my desire to become a special education teacher. I always knew that I wanted to go into special education , even before I came out to college, but I think working with her in the primary, was my spiritual prompting telling me that I am indeed headed in the correct direction.

                I really liked the quote: “We have a tendency to teach the way we were taught and parent the way we were parented.” I think that as a future teacher, the future of a child’s education is in my hands. That is a major responsibility and I want to make sure that I am prepared and ready for that time. I want to make a difference in their life. Part of my philosophy of education is that I want to be there to support the children and encourage them to do their best. I personally didn’t always have teachers who were there to encourage and support me. However, that doesn’t matter anymore. I don’t want to be that kind of teacher. I want my students to succeed so I will make sure to do everything in my power to make that happen.